Sage, as the host and founder, graciously took to the stage to thank all the guests.During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, apart from the designated individuals, the leaders on-site also invited Dale to the stage and had him stand in the center position.Sage happened to be placed next to Dale. When she cut the red satin ribbon, the audience responded with even more enthusiastic applause.Perhaps it was just Sage's imagination, but when shaking hands with Dale, she seemed to catch a glimpse of Abby's sweet smile turning somewhat cold out of the corner of her eye.But when she turned for a closer look, Abby still had that sweet expression on her face.After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sage and Priscilla led the group on a tour of the office building.By the time all activities such as dining and gift-giving were completed, it was already the afternoon.After all the guests had left, Sage found Marcus still in Giselle's office.Marcus had changed into a spare suit. Compared to his
Shane could ignore Marcus, but Sage felt it wouldn't be right. She turned back to look at Marcus and asked, "Mr. Rosethorn, would you like to come with us?"Marcus calmly nodded. "Alright."On her way inside, Sage learned from Shane that the person who ordered someone to splash paint on her today was Delilah's father, Lovell.Because Delilah was imprisoned and had offended Ian, Lovell found it impossible to keep their already struggling business afloat.This not only led to mounting debts but also prompted various investigations and inquiries from the tax authorities and other departments.Knowing Sage's company was opening today, Lovell grew increasingly resentful and decided to send someone over to disrupt her opening ceremony.The perpetrator was just following orders for money. After being brought to the police station, they couldn't hold out under questioning and confessed.Currently, Lovell was taken to the police station and admitted to the facts.Sage saw him very soon.
"That paint didn't just hit Sage, it also got on the head of the Rosethorn family from Cinderpeak.""Ian was there, too. Having offended so many important people, do you think there's a way out for you?"Lovell glanced at Marcus in the distance, then at Shane, who had a carefree yet intimidating demeanor. Thinking about the consequences of offending Ian, he couldn't help but shiver."I was wrong, Sage. Forgive me!"Lovell, who was initially arrogant, suddenly started begging Sage."Sage, I just wanted to vent my anger. I didn't expect things to get this out of hand!"Considering how good our families' relationship used to be, can you let me off this time? I was just momentarily foolish, and I won't dare to do it again…"Lovell had quite a bit of gray hair, and his tone was very humble and pitiable.But every pitiable person had something about them worthy of scorn.Sage didn't believe that Lovell truly thought he was wrong. He just didn't expect the consequences to be this sev
Shane looked at Marcus and said, "Marcus, your words no longer have any credibility with me."Based on what I know about you, you usually don't actively try to socialize or form connections. So, why did you go with the others to see Mr. Sutton, and why were you standing so close to Sage?"Faced with Shane's question, Marcus picked up the teacup and took a small sip."Shane, you're giving me too much credit. I'm just a business person, barely managing to establish myself in Haldon City."Everyone wants to get to know someone like Mr. Sutton, who has such a strong background, and I'm no exception. And I didn't notice at all how close I was standing to Ms. Joyner."Marcus still maintained his calm demeanor and said, "When I realized someone was trying to harm Ms. Joyner, I didn't think much about it and just instinctively stepped in to help her.""When did you become so nice?" Shane said sarcastically. "I remember once when a woman fainted in front of you, and you didn't even lift a
"Stop using my dad and brother to threaten me," Shane said coldly. "They can't stop me from doing what I want to do! The more you act like this, the more I feel your intentions aren't genuine!"Marcus calmly looked at Shane for a few seconds before setting down his teacup. "Shane, you're overreacting."I've told you before, Ms. Joyner is very talented, but I won't develop any inappropriate feelings for her."I've said everything I needed to say, and I've had my tea, so I won't keep you any longer."As Marcus spoke, he stood up."Marcus, keep your distance from Sage in the future, and don't use Giselle's name to get close to her!" Shane warned once again.Marcus smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Shane, out of respect for Mr. Morrison Senior and Simon, I won't hold your attitude against you."But as for pinning baseless accusations on me, I hope that it doesn't happen again."After calmly finishing his sentence, Marcus left the café.…Sage and Tiana were taking
Naturally, Tiana understood Calvin's intention when he spoke up on Ian's behalf, explaining the relationship between him and Ivy."Is Ian's support for Ivy really purely out of gratitude?" Tiana refused to accept Calvin's explanation.She continued, "His actions of appointing Ivy as the director at Bolton Investment and assisting the Shekdotter family's business can be considered as repayment."However, whenever Ian encounters issues related to Ivy, he gets incredibly anxious."When Ivy was injured, he took her to the hospital, and he often suspected Sage because of her. This goes far beyond simple gratitude, don't you think?"Calvin started to feel uneasy. His original intention was to put in a good word for Ian in front of Sage, but it seemed like he had messed up.What Tiana mentioned was likely something that had been on Sage's mind as well. The main issue was that Ian was indeed in the wrong regarding those incidents!Since they were talking about this, he needed to clarify
Calvin let out a sigh of relief.That was close. He had almost made a mess of things. From now on, he resolved never to bring up Ian again. It was just too difficult!Sage returned to Breakthrough Investment and asked Tiana and Calvin to go back first, while she went upstairs on her own.Upon arriving upstairs, Giselle informed her that Ian was waiting for her in the reception room.She and Marcus ran into Ian before they went out. Had Ian not left yet even after so many hours?Sage arrived at the reception room, and sure enough, Ian was still sitting on the couch.He had fallen asleep leaning against the back of the couch, still holding his phone with unread messages.He must be very tired. Ian's handsome brows were knitted together, and his attractive face showed signs of exhaustion.Calvin mentioned that Ian was being blamed by all the shareholders for the problems with CureX's project.To make up for the losses, he committed to increasing the next quarter's financial repor
Ian looked at Sage as he hid the disappointment in his eyes. He said calmly, "Sage, doing things for you is never a waste of time."Sage suddenly felt a bit annoyed. "Ian, there's really no need for this. I stopped having feelings for you a long time ago."Ian said, "I understand. I promised you that I would respect you and not interfere with your choices. But it's my right to pursue you, and you can't stop me from doing that."Sage felt like she had been talking to a brick wall.The restaurant Ian ordered food from was a famous one just next door. The employees were thrilled and kept praising Sage for being so generous and supportive.Everyone gathered around the large office table to have dinner together, and Ian joined them quite naturally.The people present knew Ian and were somewhat aware of his past relationship with Sage. So, everyone tacitly invited Ian to take a seat and offered him the spot next to Sage.Ian grabbed the utensils and served Sage her favorite food, sayi
Ian said calmly, "I just got back from a business trip and came by to check on Sage."Giselle didn't ask more questions. She explained to Sage, "I just saw Selena over there. I went to her and clarified that this was my idea. Selena said it was okay."Seeing Selena's calm and relaxed demeanor, Sage didn't have the energy to pretend to be friendly with her.She said to Giselle, "I'm going back to the ward," and then headed to the elevator.Ian was at her heels. "Sage, if you're too tired, just lean on me."Sage stayed silent and didn't respond to Ian, just staring blankly at the numbers on the elevator panel.In the hospital room, Tiana had been waiting for Sage for a while.Seeing Ian, Tiana was equally surprised and asked, "What are you doing at the hospital? Weren't you on a business trip away from town?"Ian succinctly said, "I came back once the task was done."Tiana looked at Sage. "How did it go?"Sage nodded numbly. "Pretty good."Tiana could tell from Sage's expressi
Sage paused slightly in her steps and turned to look at Shane. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "Is there anything else?"Shane felt an indescribable discomfort as he watched Sage's unsteady appearance.But he didn't know why he had to call out to Sage, especially since he didn't remember anything about her."Since you say we are good friends, and I got hurt because of you, why can't you visit me more often?" Shane questioned, finding a reason.“Sorry, she won't be available.”As soon as Shane finished speaking, the door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open.Sage turned her head and saw Ian's tall, upright figure.He was wearing a custom-tailored black suit, looking like he had rushed over from somewhere, carrying an air of exhaustion.Ian had been on a business trip for the past two days. Why did he suddenly show up now?Sage glanced toward the doorway but didn't see any signs of Giselle.Sage had a faint guess about who was behind this. She gave a self-d
Shane's thought process was quite logical.Sage calmly replied, "You were worried that she was only momentarily taking a step back, so you couldn't fully trust her and wanted to observe for a while."Shane also mentioned that when Sage came to the hospital room two days ago, the way she spoke to him was very familiar. It wasn't like how typical business partners would interact.Sage admitted that they were not just business partners but had become good friends through their interactions."But I wouldn't take a good friend to my mother's grave," Shane suddenly said.Sage was taken aback upon hearing this. Had Giselle told Shane about this, too?Seeing Shane looking at her, Sage calmed herself. "You were deceiving Giselle."It's not just this, but also some of our daily interactions. You embellished the details and even went out of your way to act nice to me in front of her."Shane indeed did that before. Sage wasn't at all diffident to talk about it.Shane could see it, too. "S
Taking a deep breath, Sage knocked on the hospital room door.Giselle walked over, glanced down the hallway, and asked with a puzzled expression, "What took you so long? Where did you go?"Sage forced a smile. "There were a lot of people waiting for the elevator."Giselle saw how broken and fragile Sage looked. Thinking she was worried about meeting Shane alone, she couldn't help but gently pat her on the shoulder."It's okay. Take your time talking with Shane. If Selena returns, I'll tell her that everything was my idea."Sage didn't have the energy to explain further to Giselle. She simply said thank you and then walked into the hospital room.Shane sat upright at the head of his bed, dressed in a hospital gown, with bandages still on his head.His handsome face looked a bit thinner than before. Under the hospital room's lighting, he had the delicate appearance of a frail young nobleman.Shane was also quietly observing Sage as she walked over.She had a slender and delicate
Selena nodded. "It's understandable, Ms. Joyner. However, before you go to see Shane, could you take a moment to hear me out?"Sage was aware that Selena had been deliberately waiting for her.Sage sent a message to Giselle saying she would be a few minutes late, and then followed Selena to the stairwell beyond the emergency exit.The stairwell was brightly lit, with gleaming floors and an overall quietness that inexplicably added a sense of oppression.Sage asked, "Ms. Morrison, what do you want to talk to me about?"As soon as she finished speaking, Selena suddenly knelt down in front of her."Ms. Morrison, what are you doing?"Sage hurriedly went to help Selena, but the injuries on her back hadn’t fully healed yet. The movement caused her wounds to hurt, and she winced in pain, furrowing her brow."Ms. Joyner, please don't help me up. Let me finish speaking."Selena's face showed determination, and her almond-shaped eyes, similar to Shane's, had a hint of tears."I know Sh
Since Giselle already knew, Sage didn't deny it. She asked directly, "So what do you think? Are you planning to go abroad with Shane?""Do you even need to ask? Of course I'm not going!"Giselle was somewhat annoyed. "Nothing's going on between Shane and me! Why would they suddenly want me to go abroad with him?""But your brother thinks this is a good opportunity for Shane to develop feelings for you," Tiana said.Sage also shared Marcus' analysis with Giselle. "Your brother hopes that you and Shane will end up together in the end. If you still have some feelings for Shane, this could be a good opportunity.""I couldn't care less about such an opportunity!" Giselle said. "No matter how much I liked Shane, that's all in the past now."I'm not a martyr. I would never degrade myself just to win a man's affection. Besides, even if I gave him everything, what I might get in return could be resentment, not love.""Giselle, you are truly wise and perceptive!" Tiana couldn't help but s
"However, Elle has become more thoughtful and no longer acts willfully now. I believe that Shane will change his opinion of her."With them spending so much time together, there's a high chance that Shane will develop feelings for Elle."Sage fell silent. People were naturally fragile when they were alone and were easily moved by the care and warmth shown by others, especially considering they would be in a foreign country.Therefore, it seemed highly likely that what Marcus mentioned could happen."Even though my parents agreed to dissolve Elle's engagement, they are quite satisfied with Shane. They watched Shane grow up and know him well."If our two families could be united through marriage, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone."Ms. Joyner, I know that Shane likes you, but he has currently forgotten you. You also understand that it is very difficult for the two of you to be together."Even if Elle didn't accompany him for the treatment abroad, Mr. Morrison Senior would
Marcus put down the gift he was holding and said tactfully, "I've heard about your situation from Elle. I just visited Shane, and I thought I'd drop by to see you as well."Sage thanked Marcus and invited him to sit down. Then, unable to hold back, Sage asked, "How is Shane doing? Is he okay?"Because Shane didn't remember her, and the Morrison family wouldn't allow her to visit, Sage hadn't been able to see Shane in person for the past couple of days.Marcus said, "He's doing okay, more or less. He has multiple injuries, and his hand and leg are not very functional. On top of that, he frequently gets headaches, and his mood is quite unstable.""He probably remembered you, right?" Sage asked intentionally.She could definitely guess that Shane remembered Marcus. However, she wanted to know if Shane still harbored the same hostility toward Marcus.Instead of asking directly because it didn't seem appropriate, she decided to ask a different question instead.Marcus knew what Sage
George acknowledged her with a slight nod, while Simon asked bluntly, "What are you here for?""I heard Shane has woken up and came to check on him," Sage said honestly.Simon's tone was stern as he said, "Ms. Joyner, you should be aware of the current situation with Shane.""We won't hold what happened between you and Shane against you anymore, but we hope you'll stop bothering him in the future and completely cut ties with him."Before Sage could speak, Giselle's voice rang out. "Mr. George, Simon!"Seeing Giselle, Simon's attitude softened a bit.George also had a kind smile on his face. "Have you come to see Shane, Elle?"You see, even though Shane has forgotten so many things, he remembers everything about you very clearly. That shows he still cares about you," joked George.Giselle glanced at Sage and replied with a hint of playfulness, "Mr. George, you really shouldn't joke with me like this."Shane hasn't completely lost his memory, so it's perfectly normal for him to